Welcome To RegretsVille

     Let me first start by confessing that it has been nearly 2 months since I last worked out. TWO FUCKING MONTHS! OK, now that I've confessed, let me say that in my defense, over those same 2 moths I'm roughly 20lbs lighter, so it's not like I've been slacking and filling my face with junk.

     Frank and I totally overhauled our dietary habits because he found out he was diabetic. The doc put him on some meds and he had to start testing his blood. I think we both got a healthy dose of shitty reality right there so we changed. He's done absolutely fantastic - dropping about 25-30lbs and he was taken off of the meds! I've learned more about nutrition over the past months than I ever thought I'd know. I tracked macros for both of us for a few weeks and really got a handle of portion sizes and what foods to eat, so forth and so on. I'm proud of myself for that, it was no easy task. We're treating this as a life overhaul so I expect that we'll see a few more pounds drop away. That being said, it's time to kick things back into overdrive with higher activity levels.

My weight loss has pretty much plateaued. I'm pleased to have lost what I have, but I miss my muscles and my fitness. Let me tell you something here. If you're in shape - STAY THAT WAY! If you're in the process of getting in shape - DON"T GIVE UP. As someone who's been on both sides of this scenario, I can tell you that it's way better being fit and healthy and strong. It sucks ass to be saggy nd baggy and weak. I 100% regret letting myself fall away from training and working out. It's not impossible to get back there, but it is a tad harder just because I'm older.  I decided I would bite the bullet and give myself a challenge - 21 days of kettlebells. I plan on doing my tried and true "Coyote" workout everyday for 21 days. Here are my stats and my work for tonight (try not to laugh).

OCTOBER 8, 2021

WEIGHT: 177lbs

WAIST (at belly button): 38.5"

Thigh (middle): 23"

Calf: 15"

Bicep: 13"

COYOTE:

START TIME -  3:10pm

35lb KB: (15 swings, 5 goblet squats, 3 pushups) 13x

20lb KB: (15 swings, 5 goblet squats, 3 pushups) 7x

END TIME - 3:52pm

     I'm a little ashamed to admit that, yes, I did have to drop down to the 20lb bell. But I realized that if I kept pushing with the 35lb bell, there would only be 2 possible outcomes. I would either die, or be so sore tomorrow that I wouldn't be able to workout. So I dropped the weight.

     Here's a little pro tip for you - have some ice-cold grapes nearby to snack on as you're going. They're great for keeping your energy up and also for keeping you hydrated without making you feel like you're going to puke. I didn't want to stop and rinse them off before I dove into them so I've made a mental note to rinse them all when I initially bring them home from the store. Now I'll probably wind up with freaking salmonella and I won't be able to run to the toilet because my legs will be too sore. I'll keep you posted on that.

I wanted to finish this in 45 minutes or less and I cam in at 42 minutes. Hooray for me. There's a shit ton of room for improvement here but that's part of what makes it so awesome. I truly have nowhere to go but up and if I stick to this for the full 21 days I WILL PROGRESS. This is a guaranteed success and all it takes is discipline. There's 2 ladies from work that may do this with me and I hope they do. I also hope Frank joins in in some capacity, even if he just starts lifting again. Things like this are always more motivating when you have others in the trenches with you but you can't rely solely on that. Again, it all boils back down to discipline and routine.

     I also thought that I would throw a healthy recipe into each post. Ones that we've tried and enjoy. The problem is a try a lot of recipes, and then forget to write them down or save the web page! We rarely eat the same thing twice lol.  Here's a link to a great salad that we do make all the time. I make up a huge bowl and then it's ready to portion out whenever we need it. It's great as-is, but it's even better with some protein thrown on top. You could do hard boiled eggs, tuna, chicken, beef, or even just some cottage cheese. Don't skip making the dressing for this either! It's outstanding! Ultimate Detox Salad

     I'm kind of excited to see what I can achieve. I don't want to die. I want to live a long, HEALTHY life and see my girl grow up and make her own life. And I want all the time that I can get with Frank. So, no looking back. It's just a short rest stop in this hick town of RegretsVille before moving on to bigger and brighter places!

     

 

Down And Dirty

KB SWINGS / WALKING LUNGES

(35lb x15 / 35lb ea. hand x6 ea. leg) 2x

KB PUSH PRESS / WALKING LUNGES

(35lb x6 ea. / 35lb ea. hand x7 ea. leg) 2x

KB SHRUGS / CALF RAISES

(35lb ea. hand x10 / 35lb ea. hand x10) 3x

KB DEADLIFT / HIGH PULL

(55lb x10) 3x

KB BENT ROW / GROUND PRESS

35lb x10 ea. / 35lb x5 ea.

35lb x5 ea. (wide row) / 35lb x5 ea.

DOUBLE KB DEADLIFT

[70lb (35 ea. hand) x10] 3x

••••••••••

Today was a work day so I wasn't able to work out until this evening. The air was relatively comfortable though; it was nice. I've enjoyed working out outside with my bells and I want to keep it going as long as the weather holds up. The only issue with tonight was that the mosquitos started coming out towards the end. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the only issue. See, we have an adorable little bunny that has taken a liking to us and our yard. I don't mind too much - he stays away from my garden and in exchange, I feed him treats. He's getting used to me and I'm almost at the point of physical contact! That being said, he leaves his own little treats all over my yard. Great for the grass, and the dog seems to enjoy them (gag), but it makes it difficult to find an empty spot to use to do my ground presses. Ground presses are basically a floor press, but, you know, on the ground. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I laid on some rabbit turds. Maybe it'll help my muscles grow. I'll let you know.

All in all, I'm pleased with tonight, it was a good little workout that got my heart pumping and my blood flowing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash the "eau de turd" smell from my back.

Don't Throw Shade On My Kettlebells

KB SWINGS

(35lb x10) 3x

KB PUSH PRESS

(35lb x5) ea. arm

KB SINGLE CARRY / ALTERNATING STEP UPS

35lb x45' / 5 ea leg

KB PUSH PRESS

(35lb x5) ea arm

KB SINGLE CARRY / ALTERNATING STEP UPS

35lb x45' (opposite arm from previous) / 5 ea leg 

KB PUSH PRESS

(35lb x5) ea arm.

KB DOUBLE CARRY / ALTERNATING STEP UPS

(35lb x45' / 3 ea. leg)

**I did that whole shebang twice**

KB SWINGS

(55lb x10) 3x

KB SINGLE RACK CARRY

(55lb x45') 4x 

KB GORILLA ROWS

55lb x5 ea side

KB DEAD LIFT

55lb x5

KB LUNGE ROWS

55lb x5 ea side

KB DEADLIFT

55lb x5

FINISHED WITH LOTS OF STRETCHES!

••••••••••

I'm fairly certain that my notes are accurate. How sad is it that I can't remember exactly what I did?! This is what happens when I don't write it down as I go! The step ups were done on a log that's probably between 16" - 18" high. I didn't measure it it just looked like a good stump. 

I'm not strong enough yet to do much overhead stuff with the 55lb KB so I worked my shoulders and upper back with it. I'm close to being able to press it. So close. 

Because I've had so much whiplash, and my SI joint is so out of whack, any sort of training really screws with my muscle tension. Since I did those heavy carries on Friday, I've been beyond tight and suffering with headaches. It's not the normal muscle soreness from use, it's the angry tightness of unbalance. So I made sure to do some really good stretching after I was finished today and I'll be taking some preemptive ibuprofen here in a few.

One of the things I enjoy about working out either in my yard, or the field is that the ground is uneven and the stump is uneven. Now, I tried to get the most level stump I could and set it so that it was stable, but there's still inevitably going to be a little slant here and there. But all that unevenness really helps to get all of your  stabilizer muscles firing. It also means that you have to slow down a little and be more deliberate in your movements. Plus, it's just nice to be outside! Today was sooooo much better than Friday anyhow. The humidity has dropped to the upper 50's so you don't feel the weight of the air on you anymore. It's warm, maybe upper 70's, so the heat isn't baking you either. I found a nice shady spot under the weeping cherry to do most of the stuff and it was lovely. It's never a good thing to throw shade, unless your a tree.

Frank said he was glad that I was getting my willpower back and that I didn't let myself give up. That one sentence boosted me more than any motivational speech or quote or meme. As long as I'm making that man proud, I'm good. I can do all of this for myself, and I suppose that I do. But there's also something to be said for making the important people in your life proud - your tribe, your clan, your people. I think we all need at least one person to be proud of us and to make us feel like what we're doing matters to someone other than ourselves. So it was good to hear it from him!

And now, with that work out of the way, I can go do really fun stuff; like laundry. Yeah.....woo.

This is where I grow my bells 😁😎

HEAVY CARRIES:

Double Racked KB

(35lb x150') 2x

Suitcase Carry

(35lb x150') 2x

Suitcase / Waiter's Carry

(35lb x150') 2x, switching arms

Suitcase Carry

(55lb x150') 2x, switching arms

Sandbag Carry

100lb x100'

100lb x150'

**********

And as always, part of my workout is carrying everything out and then back in again. Although I have to confess that the bag is still out back. I just couldn't do anymore. It was 82° and the humidity was at 74%. I was exhausted. I don't regret doing this today, but I now have an enormous headache. So i'm in my bedroom with the AC on and i'm waiting for this miserable heat wave to break. 

Frustrated

BENCH:

1.5 Reps (bottom range) / DB Rows

55lb x10 / 45lb x5 

65lb x10 / 45lb x5

75lb x6 / 45lb x5

••••••••••

DB Bench / Tri. Cable Pulldowns

25lb x10 / 40lb x10

35lb x5 / 60lb x5, x5

45lb FAIL

••••••••••

CORE:

(Bird Dog Zipper x10 ea. side / Standing Knee to Elbow x10 ea. side)

••••••••••

Not a lot got done tonight. I let my frustration get the better of me. I need to find a solution because this isn't productive. I have nothing else to say.

Pyramid Scheme

WARM UP:

DB SHRUGS:

30lb x50

GOBLET SQUATS:

25lb DB x15

30lb DB x10

35lb KB x5

30lb x10

25lb x15

SINGLE LEG RDL:

20lb KB x15

25lb DB x10

35lb KB x5

25lb x10

20lb x15

BANDED SQUATS:

Purple Band x10

Green Band x10

Blue Band x10

Green Band x10

Purple Band x10

CORE WORK:

(Hollow Body Hold x10 seconds) 3x

(Superman x10 seconds) 3x

••••••••••

It was a late workout tonight. I still don't like working out after dinner, but it's what we settled on so that we can both work together. Was it the heaviest weight I've ever moved? Hell no. But it was a pretty decent workout with our little pyramids. I've always liked pyramids. 

I will admit that the core stuff could've been a little more intense but I'd had enough by then. Oh well. I'm old and it's almost my bedtime!

It's Over My Head

WARM UP:

DB SHRUGS: 30lbs (ea.) x50

SEATED DB OVERHEAD PRESS:

15lb x12

25lb x5

15lb x12

25lb x4

15lb x12

SEAL ROWS:

25lb x20

35lb x10

45lb x5

SEATED REVERSE FLIES:

(15lb x10) 3x

FACE PULLS / CHEST PULLS:

Purple Band x10 / x10

Green Band x10 / x10

CORE WORK:

(Pushups x15 / Hanging Knee Raise x15 / Mountain Climbers x15 / Butterfly Kicks x15) 2x

••••••••••

About a week and a few days ago, Frank and I decided that enough was enough. After realizing that health was going to be a major issue if we didn't make some effectual changes, we altered our total way of eating. I've been tracking macros, adhering to strict portion controls, cutting ALL processed junk food and white sugar. In doing that alone I'm down about 11 pounds and I believe Frank is around the same. Tonight we worked out. We're aiming at every other day to start. It's hard to say that I've noticed an uptick in energy, but I guess if I'm honest, I'm a little less sluggish. I have noticed that my skin has cleared up. Veggies do wonders for skin.

Tracking our food is a chore. It's an enormous P.I.T.A. but it's the only way that I was going to make proper changes. To truly see just how much I was overeating was humbling and shameful, really. But I'm not looking back at the mistakes, I'm looking ahead to the successes and to being healthier than we've been in awhile. 

Nowhere to go but up (or down, in the case of the scale. wink wink)